* In the very first [[WesternAnimation/{{Noveltoons}} Goodie Gremlin]] short, the gremlins sing their cheerful, happy [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYy1y8SMI7A anthem]] [[VillainSong to mayhem, war, terror and chaos and]] [[CardCarryingVillain the causing thereof]].-->We're the gremlins, devilish gremlins\\We're a miserable and underhanded crew\\We delight in dirty tricks, getting people in a fix\\There is nothing that's too mean for us to do!* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':** "Christmas Time in Hell" is a joyous song with its lyrics actually matching the tune... but it's a song that sings about how the Damned get the day off from being horribly tortured.** In the episode "The Death Camp of Tolerance," a gerbil named Lemmiwinks is forced to [[OrificeInvasion crawl up Mr. Slave's ass]] and must traverse Mr. Slave's entire digestive system and [[OrificeEvacuation crawl out the mouth]] or else he will die. Amusingly, this entire disgusting sequence is described in a song with a merry, adventure-y tune [[ShoutOut reminiscent]] of the soundtrack to the [[{{WesternAnimation/TheHobbit}} 1977 animated version of The Hobbit]].** ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' is built almost entirely on this trope and plays with them:*** "Up There": A rousing Broadway showtune about loneliness and wanting to get out of a bad place. Sung by Satan. A Satan who is [[DarkIsNotEvil not a complete monster]].*** "La Resistance": "They'll cut your dick in half/ and serve it to a pig./ And though it hurts you'll laugh,/ and dance a dickless jig/ for that's the way it goes/ in war you're shat upon/ though you die, La Resistance lives on." ''Sung by a choir of eight year olds.'' Eight year olds who usually have [=IQs=] higher than their parents but with just as questionable moral compasses.*** "Blame Canada": A rousing march about evading personal responsibility to the extent of going to war with Canada, a country that seems to go out of its way to be America's friend. The song, however, is a satire on ''American'' tendency to scapegoat others.** Cartman and Cthulhu's Song from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Mysterion Rises". Super cheery song about, well, [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu being friends with Cthulhu]] and going on a rampage with him. Made worse by the fact that it's a spoof of a song from ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro''.* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', Pebbles and Bam Bam are found singing what sounds like an upbeat, cheery song about how "Smilers never lose, and frowners never win." Do you know why frowners never win? Because THE DEVIL WILL GET YOU IF YOU FROWN.* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' has the "Happy Happy Joy Joy Song". Although the song itself is a deliberately insipid -- though insanely catchy -- song about being happy sung by Stinky Wizzleteats (an {{Expy}} of Burl Ives), it's interspersed with his increasingly insane rantings paraphrased from Ives' role in ''{{Film/The Big Country}}.''-->''"I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! Why didn't you believe me?!"''* One ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode has Art Garfunkel act as a one-man GreekChorus to the characters' actions and feelings. This includes a part where he sings a lively song about Buster being "a sad, sad bunny." Buster then [[BreakingTheFourthWall broke the fourth wall]] and demanded Art Garfunkel sing a more melancholy version.* The first verse of the Incredible Hulk's segment of the Grantray-Lawrence ''Marvel Superheroes'' show of the mid 1960s:-->Doc Bruce Banner\\Belted by gamma rays\\Turns into the Hulk\\Ain't he unglamour-ays?* In the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Meapless in Seattle", the [[TastesLikeDiabetes Meaps']] war song definitely counts:-->We we we we (whee!)\\Are going to war (We're going to war!)\\We're going to war (We're going to war!)\\We we we we (whee!)\\Are going to war (We're going to war!)\\We're going to war (We're going to war!)\\De- de- de- de- de- de- de-\\Destroy our enemies!\\La- la- la- la- la- la- la-\\Let's bring them to their knees!\\\\We we we we (whee!)\\Are going to war (We're going to war!)\\We're going to war (We're going to war!)\\We we we we (whee!)\\Are going to war (We're going to war!)\\We're going to war (We're going to war!)** In "Norm Unleashed", Norm the Robot Man brings [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3H18bkKyG8 his own cheerful song]] about conquering the Tri-State area with an array of deadly, built-in "Weaponry".-->If power's on your shopping list\\Then use the elbow and the fist\\Hum along until they get the gist\\Just make an example of\\Representative sample of\\And most of them will not be missed!** Candace sings a song called "Give Up" in "Last Train to Bustville". It's a cheerful, upbeat anthem about... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin giving up]]. ItMakesSenseInContext, since what she's giving up is her obsession with busting her brothers.** Baljeet and Buford's song in "Bully Bromance Break-Up" is a power ballad about the relationship between a bully and his victim.** In "The Baljeetles", Baljeet sings an angry heavy metal song... called "Somebody Give Me a Grade", that's all about being an overachieving conformist.* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' gives us "It's a Dog's Life" from "Life's Ruff". The lively and catchy song is about...Luigi and King Windbag wanting to be human again after Hip and Hop turned them into dogs.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has a cheerful reggae song about being a bureaucrat in "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back".** To say nothing of the [[InsistentTerminology Xmas]] carol, "Santa Claus Is Gunning You Down".* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'', the national anthem of an unnamed country sounds like a repeated chant of "pee-pee, pee-pee, pee-pee, poopy", but has a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EcaGvvhIBo rather different meaning]].* The Island of Misfit Toys segment from ''WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer'' starts with a song about the toys being unloved and missing out on the joys of Christmas, when the song itself sounds very cheerful.-->If we're on the island of unwanted toys, we'll miss all the fun with the girls and the boys...* [[http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=imKPenpVyPQ "L'il Ark Angel"]] from ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'' starts with Darla singing about the world being destroyed in a flood and people and animals drowning in exactly the same cheerful tone she later sings about the various animals she's rescuing. If you hadn't already realized she'd be the BigBad of the film from the foreshadowing in the intro, it's hard to miss it after that.* Some of the [[WesternAnimation/VeggieTales Silly Songs With Larry]] invoke this. From an 80s love ballad...about cheeseburgers to a tango...about manatees, the team purposely make the music sound completely authentic to the genre while keeping the silly lyrics.* A cutaway scene from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' features [[http://www.hulu.com/watch/5547/family-guy-you-have-aids "You Have AIDS,"]] a happy barbershop quartet song that Peter sings to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin someone who has contracted AIDS]].** In the episode "Welcome Back, Carter", Peter sings a song to a soft romantic tune to "set the mood". Unfortunately, he chooses his favorite song, "Surfin' Bird".* An example from ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' is Foxxy Love's touching ballad [[GrotesqueCute "Crashy Smashy Die Die Die."]]* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXSsagwvo3M "Batty Rap"]] from ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest''. It has a fast and springy beat and tune.....with the lyrics being about how Batty was used in animal testing laboratory, with strong implications that ''he was conscious throughout all the processes''. Due to its 'adult' nature, quite a bit of the song was cut from the film, but was [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1g5Oajn5UE left in on the CD]].-->"The Eye makeup, when inserted rectally, has some effect...\\Remove the brain cap...\\If you notice, by dipping the bat in a series of paints...\\After 600 packs of cigarettes, the animals seem to exhibit some carcinogenic tendencies..."\\[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Oh God, I'm bleeding by my genitals!]]** The tune's single most horrifying line: "As you see, the animals don't really feel pain, ''THEY JUST GET USED TO IT!!!''"* The children's movie ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' contains a song near its end which the other wiki sums up perfectly: "''Worthless'' is sung by the junkyard's broken down cars, each singing a few verses about their life before being smashed and killed by the compactor." However, they fail to mention the upbeat music it's sung to.* "Christmastime is Here" from ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas''. It has lyrics that describe how wonderful Christmas is ("Fun for all that children call their favorite time of year") but has a very slow, almost melancholy feel to it. This makes it memorable.** This acts as FridgeBrilliance as well since Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time, but Charlie Brown finds it depressing.* "Won't You Come over to My House?", best known from the famous short ''WesternAnimation/OneFroggyEvening''. If your memory's a bit hazy, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkjsN-J27aU here's]] the cartoon (songs only), and [[http://froggyeve.tripod.com/comeover.html here]] are the full lyrics.* This is pretty much the entire gimmick of Dethklok on ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'', as they render ''everything'', from the blues to a jingle for a coffee shop to a birthday song, as over-the-top death metal.* The song "The Violin", by Brian Dewan, is included on the album ''Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?,'' notably a [[WesternAnimation/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego kid's show]]. It is set to decidedly upbeat, Irish-sounding music. The song's lyrics discuss a kid who is constantly trying to break away from his controlling parents' desire to make him learn the violin, getting snubbed by his crush for someone who ''does'', and then ultimately drowning in a shipwreck. It's a children's album, fun for the whole family!** The titular song by Rockapella could qualify, as a peppy upbeat number about an impossible-to-catch criminal and her various misdeeds.* Music by Jody Gray are great examples of this trope. Both ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}} Arthur's Missing Pal]]'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/CliffordTheBigRedDog Clifford's Really Big Movie]]'' feature upbeat music... with downer lyrics about the protagonist's lost dog?!? In the latter, the opposite also occurs on a tribute CD: the owner of said big red dog sings upbeat lyrics about her dog to a bitter-sounding tune.* The song "Mother Knows Best" in ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'' is a cheerful, bouncy song where Gothel terrifies Rapunzel by listing off all the "scary and dangerous" things in the outside world and how all of them ''will'' happen to Rapunzel if she steps out of the tower. Throughout the song, Gothel is intentionally [[AbusiveParents emotionally abusing]] Rapunzel by playing with her fears to make her seem like she's the only one in the cruel world Rapunzel could trust.* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'':** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN6ef0ED9aI "The Ballad of Magellan"]], a rather lively and happy-sounding song about Magellan's famous voyage around the world - the one that ended in his death. The song is ''far'' more lively than the lyrics, tune, and story (which is actually historically accurate) suggest.** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHi4UHT7ZKo A Quake, A Quake]]!" is a bouncy, lively tune about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Northridge_earthquake the 1994 Northridge earthquake]], which resulted in 57 fatalities, about 8,700 injuries, and billions in property damage.* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Winter Wrap Up", the cast begin [[MusicalChores singing a jolly song about]] [[PaintingTheFrostOnWindows cleaning up winter to make way for spring]]. Rainbow Dash sings about awesome holidays, Pinkie about having fun and Rarity about fashion. Applejack? She's singing about possible starvation due to running out of food.-->'''Rainbow Dash''': Three months of winter coolness, and awesome holidays\\'''Pinkie Pie''': We've kept our hoovsies warm at home, time off from work to play\\'''Applejack''': But the food we've stored is runnin' out, and we can't grow in this cold\\'''Rarity''': And even though I love my boots, this fashion's getting old...** The first season finale has "Pony Pokey", a lively and upbeat song about the Mane Six becoming dissatisfied with the Grand Galloping Gala. It's most evident during Fluttershy's verse while she's chasing the Canterlot critters:--->'''Pinkie Pie''': You stomp your whole self in\\You stomp your whole self out\\You stomp your whole self in\\And you stomp yourself about\\You do the Pony Pokey and you give a little shout—\\'''Fluttershy''': COME OUT!\\'''Pinkie Pie''': That's what I'm talking about!** The season 5 opener has "In Our Town", the cheerful-sounding anthem of Stalight Glimmer's [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill uber-conformist]] FalseUtopia. [[WordOfGod According to songwriter Daniel Ingram,]] it was based on UsefulNotes/WorldWarII propaganda songs. The main cast clearly notice the dissonance, getting increasingly disturbed apart from Fluttershy, who gets caught up in the mood before Pinkie frowns at her.-->''"In our town, in our town\\We work as a team\\You can't have a nightmare\\If you never dream"''* In "The Singin' Kid" on ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter'', there's Jelly Otter singing about friends and family keep her strong and being true to herself at the same time she lets fame go to her head in "The Singin' Kid."* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Marceline's]] song about a fisherman.--> "You look so cute sitting in your boat, I wanna suck out your eyeballs and rip out your throat. I wanna suck out your eyeballs... and rip out your throat..."** The song she sings in "What Was Missing" also definitely counts:---> "Lada-da-da-da, I'm going to bury you in the ground. Lada-da-da-da, I'm going to bury you with my sound. I'm gonna drink the red from your pretty pink face..."** Another example comes in "The Tower". While [[TheHero Finn]] is building [[StarScraper the titular tower]], he sings a cutesy little lullaby about [[IWillTearYourArmsOff violently ripping his father's arm off]] [[spoiler:and reattaching it to his own arm-stub.]] ''[[CoolAndUnusualPunishment He literally means to do this.]]''* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' did a music video of "Particle Man" by Music/TheyMightBeGiants (which the band approved of) with an odd twist. Although the lyrics were not changed, Universe Man was just as mean to Particle Man (played by Plucky) as Triangle Man was, despite what the lyrics said. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsAiCs66l40 You can see it here.]]* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':** The "Steven and the Crystal Gems" song is in the style of classic rock n roll songs, and is a homage to ''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats''. Its lyrics are quite upbeat at first but then it goes on about how Steven created an AlternateTimeline and how he watched [[AlternateSelf himself]] (including the original Steven from the start of the episode) '''die'''.** The song "Do it for Him/Her" from the episode Sworn to the Sword also fits this trope. The song starts as a really nice piano piece about how to fence. It quickly develops into a really nice piano piece about how [[DeliberateValuesDissonance worthless you are and how]] [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop you should die defending the person you love,]] [[LadyAndKnight because (s)he's the only one who gives a meaning to your life.]]** The song "On the Run" starts up as an upbeat little tune, Steven's lyrics reflecting whatever he likely thought the No-Home Boys would've thought. Amethyst's turn the song around, however.---> '''Amethyst:''' [[spoiler: I don't care about what all the others say / Well, I guess there are some things that just never go away / I wish that I could say, "There's no better place than home" / But home's a place that I have never known."]]** The ending theme, ''Love Like You'', is a sweet little lullaby-like piano tune, and the full lyrical version is sung sweetly enough that you could hear it as just a nice, relaxing song. Except that the lyrics are actually the singer lamenting about what a terrible person they are compared to the person they're singing to:-->''I always thought I might be bad, now I'm sure that it's true''-->'''Cause I think you're so good, and I'm nothing like you''* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}} and the Holograms'' songs are almost always cheery, upbeat 80s pop. Even songs like "Who Is He Kissing?", which is about infidelity, and "Nightmare", which is about how Jem's life has become a living hell due to {{gaslighting}}, are in a peppy tone. Certain songs have fittingly slow rhythms though.* "Remember" from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. Sam even scoffs it as a mindless pop song. It is a depressing song about how a girl was abandoned by a boy. It gets even worse when it turns out it's about Ember's ''death''. {{Fanon}} largely took it as a song about Ember committing suicide, however WordOfGod says it isn't quite that dark, though not by much. Ember was an unpopular girl who was asked out by a boy who never came to the date. She was too exhausted to wake up when a fire broke out and died. Suddenly Ember's [[AttentionWhore need to be remembered]] and breakdown when her PopularityPower fails is [[HarsherInHindsight dramatically less amusing]].* In the ''WesternAnimation/JuliusJr'' episode "Smellalicious Flower", the gang tries singing Sheree's special staying awake song, which consists of original lyrics about staying awake sung to "Brahms Lullaby". * ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': ** Wander's bouncy, happy birthday song for Lord Hater in "The Birthday Boy" has some [[BlackComedy comically dark lyrics]] about impending mortality.--->'''Wander:''' It's your happy birthday\\Here's your happy birthday song\\And your birthday best be happy\\'Cause you won't be around for long!\\'''Sylvia:''' So try not to be so sad\\About your impending doom\\Someday we'll light birthday candles\\On your frigid tomb!** In "My Fair Hatey", Lord Dominator's VillainSong[=/=]IAmSong "I'm the Bad Guy" combines a bouncy, jazzy tune with cheerful vocals about how she [[CardCarryingVillain loves to cause wanton mayhem and destruction and crush people's hopes]].--->''Oh, it's magic\\To watch a planet\\Shrivel up and die!\\\\Oh, it's thrillin'\\To be a villain\\I destroy their homes\\And then I watch them cry!\\'Cause I'm the bad guy!''* When used in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Creator/PuffyAmiYumi's "Shiawase" ("Happiness") sounds like a bouncy, lively song. The lyrics, however, when translated to English, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkdd91R9dBo don't seem quite so innocent.]]* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Turbo}} FAST'' episode "Turboldly Go", Chet and Smoove Move sing an upbeat, showtune-y song about them dying in space.----